Trailer for automobiles or other vehicles.



H. L. LITCHFIELD.

TRAILER FOR AUTOMOBILES 0R OTHER VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24.1915.

Patented May 7,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I A TTORNE YS.

H. L. LITCHFIELD.

Patented May 7 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INI/IENTOR.

A TTORNE YS.

@ATE @ATN HENRY L. LITCHFIELD, OF WATERLOO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LITCHFIELD MANU'- FACTUBJING COMPANY, OF WATERLOO, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

TRAILER FOR AUTOMOBILES OIR OTHER VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, i918.

Application led November 24, 1915. Serial No. 63,145.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY L. LITCHFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterloo, county of Blackhawk, State of Iowa, have invented a certain newv and useful Improvement in Trailers for Automobiles or other Vehicles, and declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the. art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to produce a simple and efficient vehicle adapted to be attached as a trailer to an automobile or other vehicle. l

@ne ofthe subsidiary objects of my invention is to produce a trailer for a vehicle which will permit the load carried by the trailer to be distributed quickly and conveniently in any desired proportions, within limits between the vehicle and the trailer.

In carrying out my invention l employ only two supporting wheels for the trailer and therefore, considered in some of its aspects, my invention may be said to have for its objects to produce a simple and novel two wheeled trailer so constructed that it may be attached at different elevations to an automobile or other vehicle, without securing an unsatisfactory disposition of the load and to pro-vide simple means for shifting the center of gravity ofthe load quickly and conveniently after the trailer is loaded.

The various Jfeatures of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a vehicle arranged in accordance with a preferred form of my invention, the rear end of the towing vehicle being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the two vehicles illustrated in Fig. l, the towing vehicle being in dotted lines anda portion of the near wheel of the trailing vehicle being broken a-Way;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the supporting frame for the body of my improved vehicle, together withr the tracks or shoes supported thereby and in turn supporting the body or bed;

Fig. @L is a perspective view of the screw device for shifting the 'body or bed backward and forward on the supporting frame;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of ya. fragment of the axle and the connection between the same and one of the springs on which the supporting frame for the body or bed is carried;

Fig. 6 is a perspective vie-w of a fragment of the tongue or reach and the elevating mechanism between the same and the front end of the supporting frame for the bed or body; and

Fig. 7 is a section on an enlarged scale taken approximately on line A A of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawing, l represents an axle on the ends of which are wheels, Q. Above the axle are a plurality of springs, 3, which, in the arrangement shown, are elliptic springs. The springs are attached to the axle by means of suitable saddles, 4L. Upon these springs is supported a frame or plat' form consisting conveniently of two Z-bars, (where there are two springs, as illustrated,) lying at right angles to the axle, each with its web portion, 5, arranged in a vertical plane at the inner side of one of the springs, its upper horizont-val {ia-nge, 6, projecting outwardly above the* corresponding spring and its lower horizontal flange, 7, extending inyso wardly. The two Z-bars may conveniently l be connected together by a front cross piece, 8, and a rear cross piece, 9, underlying and secured to the lower flanges, 7. The upper flanges of the side bars of the platform or frame are secured to the springs in any suitable manner. To the axle is secured a forwardly projecting tongue or'reach, 10, and between the same and the front end of the platform or frame is an adjustable support. This support may conveniently consist of a post, 11, having the upper and lower portions threaded in opposite directions and passing through suitable threaded openings in the frame or platform and in the tongue or reach, respectively. In the arrangement shown, there is arranged on the under side of the front bar, 8, "of the platform or frame a bracket, l2, in which is supported a nut, 13, adapted to rotate about a transverse horizontal axis. J ust below the bracket l2 is a bracket, 14, arranged on the under side of the tongue or reach and containing a nut,

los

7 n fwd to be rotatable about a horizontal transverse` anis. rllhe screw threaded post9 l* extends into or through both of the nuts l and l so that by turning the post in one direeeion or the other9 the iront enel of the platform or frame may be raised or lowered and at the same time the nuts will shift their positions in the suppe-rting brach-- ets suciently to prei/'ent binding. ln order to turn the post l have arranged the middle thereof a suitable actuatingn devine, l, having a hinged handle, l?, long enough to dro-p oon/'n through a slot, lf3, in the tongue or reach; the hinged anis orn the liandle being transverse so that when the handle projects down through the slot l@ it serves as ay locking dog to prevent accidental rotan tion orf the post,

rlhe platform or frame may have any desired length and be disposed in any desired Way upon the supportingI springs and the supporting nest, but re'l'er arrange it lie in so that the greater por of the axle5 bringing the springs under the rear eno.

i Wagon bed or body or bon, 205 or any usual or suitable construction rests upon and is supported by the platform or frame. ln the arrangement shown, there is fastened at each side or tl e body a rail, 225 in the fo or a tbar haring its web resting; against the side of the bodya one flange extending underneath the body? and the other harige overlying one the Adangesj l?, of the side therefore serrine as supporting traclrs or guides-and s as shoes adapted to upon the ci@ o guides rEhe body is held against l the D yerticadisplacement on the supportinb A latrorm by means oi"- olea-si which'may conveniently talee the :tormo angle irons each haring one secure-d to the weh, e

Oi frame anc harina" iAA across aoart a distance si mowed bach an l 'n Between the and I ranged means for preventing accio placement, and this means is preferer@ y constructed that will l serre as a l justineor shitting" device by means or whi the body may be snireed bach and forth. the arrangement showna this device consis or rod, 23, having; its ends screw threads in opposite directionsa one end oia the ro i passing through a suitable nut, 2e, lined the under side or@ tlA e body in rear or' dne supe y v .e 1 n w A' porting ironie an the other end o" the rofl. passing through 1 suitable nut7 2o, secured the under side i" such cross serres to turn the rod for the purpose of shitting the body bach und forth.

using my improved Vehicle the front end o: the tongue or reach is secured to the rea-r. end of an automobile or other towing Vehicle. The body may be maintained horizontal, regardless oit the height olf point ot attachment of the tongue or reach to the towing Vehicle, by simply adjustingthe supporting post, ll. After the trailer on lt on the Wheels or" the trailer, the

i( i.' can readily shifthis load to secure the desired resulte.

it thus be seen that l have produced simple, light, strong and durable loadearrring vehicle or machine capable of besuccessfully hitched to the rear end l an automobile reeardless of the elevation tie attaching point, and of providing unique for distributinejv the load, after being loadedE to gire the best results under attinge detailed clel for the salie of brevity, a single practical em@ invention in Whioh the the adjustable load is 4 tongue or reachg hut understood than invite invention is not li mended claims.

'netiorn a Wheeled arde, e.

y' XL l E3 'I 72e l wue connected to the azie lor hauling one 1 l saine, e oody above the and tongue? ano Dorting ineens hetween the body and ,0. 1 l tongue ror holding the body pa n or at an angie to the the position l u c e lengte oi the tongue.

2. comb sation, a oneeled axle, a tongue securer. o and projecting from tli lei a :trame lying above aule7 spring oetween the frame and axle7 an adustsupport bett/veen the tongue an"- ne, a body mounted on said 'rf frame in the direction of the length of the tongue.

` 3. In combination, a wheeled axle, a tongue member secured to and projecting from said axle, a load-carrying member arranged above the axle. and the tongue member, springs between the load-carrying member and the axle, a screw threaded postarranged between the tongue member and the load-carrying member, one of thev latter members having a screw threaded part engaging with said post, means including a pivoted handle for turning said post, and

said tongue having a slot thereinfor the reception of the handle.

4. In combination, a wheeled axle, a tongue secured to and projecting from the axle, asupport arranged above the axle and the tongue, said support comprising side members in the form of tracks or guides and cross members connecting said tracks or guides together, a. spring between each of said side' members and the axle, and a supporting post arranged between the tongue and one of said cross members, and a vehicle body or bed slidably mounted on said tracks or guides.

` 5. In combination, a wheeled axle, a tongue secured to and projecting from the axle, a support arranged above the axle and the tongue, saidsupport comprising side members in the form of tracks or guides and cross members connecting said tracks' or guides together, a spring Abetween eacho said side members and the axle, a supporting post arranged between the tongue and one of said cross members, a vehicle body or bed slidably mounted on said-tracks or guides, and means for adjusting said post to vary the angle between the tongue and the said support t 6. In combination, a wheeled axle, a tongue secured to and projecting from the axle, a support arranged'above the axle and the tongue, said support comprising side members in the form of tracks or guides and cross members connecting said tracks'or guides together, a springvbetween each of said side members and the axle, a supporting post arranged between the tongue and one of said cross members, a vehicle body or bed slidlengthwise of the tracks or ably mounted on said tracks or guides, means for adjusting said post to vary the angle between the tongue and the said support, and a screw device for adjusting the bodyor bed guides.

7. In a vehicle trailer, a wheeled frame supporting a'slidably mounted load-carrying body, a reachfor connecting said trailer with the towing vehicle, means for adjusting said body in a line parallel with said reach and means for adjusting the angle between said frame and said reach. s

8. In avehicle trailer, a wheeled axle, means for supporting on' the axle a loadcarrying body so as to permit the latter to be adjusted in the direction of its length relatively to the axle, a reach for connecting said trailerwith a towing vehicle, means for adjusting said body in a line parallel with said reach and means for adjusting the angle between said body and said reach. i

9. In combination, a towing vehicle, a wheeled axle, a reach connected at the rear end to said axle and at the front end to the towing vehicle, a load-carrying body on said axle, and means for adjusting said body in the direction of the length of the reach and also angularly about a transverse axis.

10. In combination, a towing vehicle, a wheeled axle, a reach connecting said wheeled axle to the towing vehicle, a load-` carrying body, and means lfor supporting said body partly from the reach and partly from the axle so as to permit the body to be adjusted in the direction of the length of the reach to vary the distribution of the static load between the towing vehicle and said tion.

HENRY L. LITCHFIELD. 

